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AdventHealth Ocala is now the only hospital in Marion County to provide dedicated inpatient pediatric care

AdventHealth Ocala has re-opened its 16-bed, dedicated pediatric inpatient unit to make it the only hospital in Marion County to provide birthing services, a level-2 NICU, dedicated children's emergency department, and now a pediatric inpatient unit for families in the area. The unit will be staffed with pediatric trained nurses and AdventHealth for Children board-certified pediatric hospitalists.

The farm themed unit, which ties in the spirit of Ocala, consists of all new upgrades, including new sleeper sofas for parents and families; kid-friendly specialties such as a 'Barnyard Breakfast,' 'Mama Llama's Lunch' and a brand new play room complete with video games, and a hay bale slide.

"We want to provide the best health care possible for every patient, at every stage of life," said Joe Johnson, President and CEO of AdventHealth Ocala. "The pediatric unit at AdventHealth Ocala will close a gap in health care in our community and alleviate the burden on families who have to travel for that care."

Children and families at AdventHealth Ocala also have full access to the connected AdventHealth network of care, which means pediatric patients who require more complex, specialized care do not have to transfer to other health care systems.

"Continuity of care is of one of our top priorities so that we can make it easy for parents," said Darlinda Copeland, Chief Operating Officer of AdventHealth Ocala. "When families visit us, we want them to know they're surrounded by a care team that is dedicated to exceptional whole person care."